From 1988: Santo's numbers Hall Of Fame size

Billy Pierce won 211 games, more victories than 15 of the pitchers in the Hall of Fame, but never received more than 2 percent of the vote and wasdropped from the ballot. Luke Appling, a two-time batting champion, among the greatest players in White Sox history, got in through the side door; a special runoff was held because no players were elected in the original voting.

Billy Williams waited six years. Nellie Fox, up there in Valhalla, isstill waiting. In 1985, he received 74.68 percent of the vote. It should have been rounded out to the required 75 percent, but the directors of the Hall of Fame, in a burst of stupidity concealed beneath the umbrella of purity, locked Little Nell out, claiming he missed by 32-hundredths of a percent.

Hack Wilson of the Cubs still holds the major-league record for themost runs batted in in one season, 190, but the pearly gates didn`t open until 45 years after he had retired as a player. When he became eligible in 1979,

Luis Aparicio, possibly the best shortstop of the 20th Century, almost didn`t make the ballot. Some members of the screening committee scratched him, deemed him not worthy of consideration. Two years later Aparicio received only 12percent of the vote, barely enough to maintain his eligibility.

The list of the 1989 candidates was announced Wednesday in New York and it occurred to me anew that for the last quarter of a century, with theexception of Ernie Banks (elected in 1977), Chicago players have had tostruggle for Hall of Fame recognition. Cooperstown has been cruel to them.

Of the new eligibles, three are likely to be anointed in their firsttime at-bat: Johnny Bench of Cincinnati, the reigning catcher of his time;

Gaylord Perry, a 300-game winner. Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs, a seven-time20-game winner, also is eligible for the first time and worthy of immediatecanonization.

Ordinarily I don`t pump for Chicago players. It doesn`t seem proper. Ihave preferred to assume it should not be necessary to bang the drum, that the 400-plus voters (10-year members of the Baseball Writers Association ofAmerica) constitute an educated and capable electorate.

Then I think of Ron Santo and realize some campaigning is necessary.

A hero Cub in the `60s and `70s, Santo was the best all-around thirdbaseman of his time. Baltimore`s Brooks Robinson was, of course, the bestfielding third baseman, but Santo was a much stronger hitter. And he wasalmost B. Robby`s equal in the field.

Santo, nonetheless, was virtually ignored in 1980, his first year onthe ballot. It is scandalous to recall that he received only 15 of the 385votes cast, 4 percent. According to the rules, players with less than 5percent are automatically dropped from the ballot. From 1981 to `84, Santo was a nonperson, not welcome in Cooperstown.

The death of Ken Boyer, a star third baseman with the Cardinals,triggered a re-examination of the system. Boyer, too, had been a victim of the 5-percent rule. Bob Broeg, a St. Louis baseball writer, led a movement toreinstate Boyer, insisting Boyer was entitled to another chance.

Boyer`s name was restored but with the provision that other worthies,who also had been thrown on the discard pile, would simultaneously bereinstated. Santo was among the players in this group, risen from Boyer`sgrave. But Santo was to suffer another indignity. The secretary of the BBWAAapparently had forgotten Santo`s first name and listed him as Roy, not Ron.Santo drew 13 percent of the vote in `85. His percentage has been increasingsteadily. He was on 108 of the 427 ballots in the last election, 25 percent.

Probably because he was such a strong hitter, Santo, who for many years was the Cub captain, never received much acclaim for his defensive ability.Through hard work and nothing else (he was originally a catcher), he madehimself an acceptable third baseman and soon thereafter was the best defensive third baseman in the National League.

As most fans realize, fielding averages are deceptive. The lumberinggaloot who can`t move off a silver dollar (once it was a dime, but adjustments must be made for inflation) has an enormous statistical advantage. Errors are not charged for slow fielding; the leadfoot escapes because he doesn`t reachthe ball. The best index of a defensive player`s effectiveness is not fewesterrors, but chances accepted.

Brooks Robinson, who played eight more years than Santo, is the all-time career leader in chances with 9,165, including errors. But a closerexamination reveals that Santo, who had a 15-year major-league career, was the busier third baseman. Santo averaged 457 chances a season compared to B.Robby`s 399. Santo averaged more assists, 305 to 270, and more putouts, 130 to 117.

And Santo, of course, was the much stronger hitter with a career totalof 342 home runs and 1,331 runs batted in, an average of almost 90 RBIs aseason. His power stats (slugging average, home runs and RBIs) compare withthose of Billy Williams and Banks, his Cub teammates whose plaques hang inCooperstown.

``If I`m in, Ronnie should be in, too,`` Billy Williams said the summer before last, a few moments after he was enshrined.

Clayton Richard pitched six innings of one-run ball and hit an RBI double Sunday as the Cubs held on for a 4-3 victory over the Brewers. Closer Hector Rondon allowed three hits in the ninth before retiring Logan Schafer on a line drive to center field with the tying run at second to end the game....